Daimler Trucks hires 1,100 workers for North Carolina plant

View full sizeRichard Read/The OregonianWorkers assemble a truck Thursday at the Daimler Trucks North America plant in Portland last year. In a wave of U.S. hiring, the company announced this morning that it would add 1,100 workers to its North Carolina plant.

Daimler Trucks North America will hire 1,100 extra workers to build long-distance trucks at its NC Freightliner plant as it bulks up after recession layoffs.

The company, a division of Germany's Daimler AG, made the announcement Thursday at the plant in the town of Cleveland in central North Carolina. It also said it would add 100 jobs to a nearby parts plant.

The Freightliner plant employed about 3,500 workers before recession layoffs that cut the number to about 650. Since then, the plant has seen a steady recovery and now employs about 1,500 workers.